Key & Compass presents:
Why does my New Year's Eve always crash and burn?
by Anonymous

You play as Diane, a working woman who's had terrible luck at previous New Year's Eves. Tonight is your fourth date with Roy, the sweetest and cutest guy you've ever dated, and a midnight kiss with him would make for a perfect evening. But things just aren't working out that way.

This solution is by David Welbourn.

Walkthrough
Extras
- Characters, Inventory
Thank You to my Patreon supporters
External links:
- This game at IFDB, IFWiki, and ifwizz.
- Tweet about this walkthrough on Twitter.

Walkthrough

Debaser Room, fifth floor

Thanks to Rebecca Paiva for telling me how to reach the survival ending.

> about. x me. x crowd. xyzzy. s. n. e.

Bar Area

> x drinks. s.

Secluded Lounge

> x photo. x Roy. x Rowena. kiss Roy. kiss Rowena. talk to Rowena.

> talk to Roy. g. g. save.

At this point, you sense something's up in the Debaser Room. You can go there and pick up the ball, but then you'll die the following turn:

> n. w. x ball. take ball. z.

*** You have died ***

Or you can go see the ball, then talk to Roy again. Rowena leaves, and Roy defuses the bomb. Which is better, but you still die:

> restore

> n. w. x ball. e. s. talk to Roy.

*** You have died ***

Or you can never see the bomb, and just keep talking to Roy. You'll leave the building in tears, but you'll survive:

> restore

> talk to Roy.

*** You have survived ***

Extras

Characters

A crowd of people (mostly your coworkers) is at the party.
Roy is a government munitions expert and supposedly your date for tonight. He's in the Secluded Lounge.
Rowena is your officemate and also in the Secluded Lounge.
Karl Palillo is your boss's boss. He appears every so often, initially accompanied by two women.

Mentioned:

Several ex-boyfriends are mentioned in the introduction.
The game also mentions your mom and dad at various points.
An old classmate of Roy's and Rowena's is now an auto mechanic.
Mr. Schmendiman was the shop teacher at high school.
A shadowy figure in a wetsuit might be spotted climbing the outside of the window.
Someone yells about productivity from the podium.
Famous people mentioned in the game include Kim Deal, the Pixies, T.S. Eliot, Michelangelo, Dick Clark, and Woody Allen.

Inventory

a disturbing photograph. It's in the Secluded Lounge. Look at it.
a medicine ball. It's in the Debaser Room after you've chatted somewhat with Roy. It's a bomb. It's best to leave it alone.

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

This walkthrough is provided free of charge since I wrote this walkthrough prior to January 2015 when I began my Patreon account, and also because the work it's based on has less than fifteen locations (so I wouldn't have charged for it anyway). I've since reformatted this walkthrough to use my currently preferred style. I hope you enjoy it!